Clueless
by kuhekabir
Summary: Merlin is clueless, Arthur is being a prat and when a hunt goes wrong and Merlin gets hurt, who will get a clue first? SLASH WARNING, Pairing Merlin/Arthur
1. Chapter 1

_AN: There will be 6 parts to this story. Of course this is all just my imagination and nothing else._

_Warnings: hurt/comfort, some angst and violence and some dub-con later on._

_And this is slash, so if this offends you or is not to your liking, please don't read any further. I hope you will enjoy my story. Please let me know what you think._

**Cluless**

It was one of those hot days that didn't come around too often. The sky wasn't blue, it was murky, heavy with heat and there was a promise of rain to come in the air.

Merlin sniffed, catching an odd look from Arthur but he didn't care because right now, the air smelt heavenly, full of summer heat with just a dash of rain to come and if he could bottle up that smell, he would.

There was only one other seasonal smell that made him feel this deliriously happy and that was waking up on a clear winter morning with the smell of snow to come in the air. The crisp air with just a hint of snow, he didn't know how to explain it but that particular scent also made him feel happy and content.

Arthur had decided this morning that it was time again for one of his many hunting trips; privately Merlin thought that the prince needed to get a different hobby. Maybe not a different hobby, perhaps just an additional one or two that didn't involve Merlin having to run around the woods, watching Arthur kill some innocent animal.

Merlin wasn't against killing per se, he knew they had to kill to eat, he could do that too, as a matter of fact he had done it in the past, not quite as successfully as Arthur had, he wasn't good at killing but if he was hungry enough, he could manage to do what needed to be done.

However Arthur wasn't killing because they needed food, to him the hunt was a hobby, it wasn't actually the kill that got Arthur excited but the stalking around the woods and the _'hunting'_.

It wasn't as if they just left the dead animal to rot afterwards, they always took it back to Camelot and then there would be a feast but it didn't change the fact that the animal hadn't been killed for food but because of a hobby.

Merlin had tried to voice his opinion on hunting once or twice but he had given up rather quickly; it was obvious that Arthur wasn't going to agree with him. Even Gaius had looked at him oddly and just said that the nobility had a different way of living so he would just have to get used to it.

Today however the heat was almost unbearable, they had been up since day break, stalking through the woods and Merlin wasn't just tired, he was sweaty and exhausted but from the flush on Arthur's face he could tell that the prince wasn't going to be done any time soon.

_'Well, if he wants to go and get heat stroke he can just go ahead,'_ Merlin thought sourly and after some more stalking and purposefully stepping on some dry wood sticks, Merlin stopped in his tracks, eyes wide and whooped, causing Arthur to throw a rock at him to shut him up.

But Merlin dodged the rock and dashed forward, pulling his sweat soaked shirt over his head, even disposing of the scarf he always wore.

When he turned around it was the first time ever that Merlin got to see Arthur wide eyed and staring at him. Merlin frowned, unsure as to what the sudden heated look on Arthur's face meant; maybe Arthur was closer to having a heat stroke than he had previously thought.

"Come one, join me. This is fun..." Merlin pointed at the small lake behind him, the deep blue water glistening in the sunlight, promising cool delights. "We could use it to cool down a bit; you'll feel so much better afterwards..."

After another long moment where Merlin had thought Arthur had been struck mute, the prince finally spoke, the disdain in his voice had Merlin slightly flinching because for some reason, whenever Arthur used that voice, he felt as if the prince had taken a look at him and decided that Merlin was lacking in every possible way and just plain useless.

"We're on a hunt; I'm not going to strip naked and jump into the water with you."

Merlin usually overcame these bouts of feeling inadequate rather quickly, he wasn't prone to depression or feeling mopey. He was usually rather cheery by nature so his momentary feeling of inadequacy was already gone and his eyes were shining with joy when he continued to try and bait Arthur to see reason, behave like a young man for once and have some fun.

"Oh come on Arthur, you know you want to..."Merlin's voice was teasing and he pointed towards the cool water, clearly signalling that he couldn't possibly understand how anyone could choose being hot and sweaty over having a nice cool dip in a lake.

"No, Merlin, stop being so annoying."

Merlin just glared and then with a defiant look, he started to unfasten his trousers, only turning around once he was pulling them down his long, slender legs. He twisted his head so that he was looking back at Arthur, when the prince didn't seem to be moving, he just shrugged, "Suit yourself then, go get heat stroke for all I care. You know where to find me."

Then with another whoop he ran towards the water and even though it was a shock to his heated body, he just kept on running until he was deep enough to jump headfirst into the cool waves.

His back had been turned to Arthur so he had missed the odd look the prince had sent towards him, his blue eyes roaming over Merlin's naked form and he missed Arthur stalking stiffly off into the woods, continuing on his hunt.

~*~

When Merlin resurfaced from the cool water, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, water droplets running down his face, Arthur was already gone.

Merlin felt a strange pang in his heart at being left alone but then he shrugged it off and continued to swim a few rounds, enjoying the cool water on his naked body, just having fun, something he hadn't done in a long time.

He knew that what he had done wasn't proper manservant behaviour but then again, what other manservant went on hunts with his sire? Usually you were only required to tend to the sire's needs, like making sure that meals are served, that the clothes were washed and that weapons were clean and tidy.

It usually didn't require anyone to come along on hunting trips, not if they were just short outings for fun. However Arthur always insisted that he come along, pretending to be teaching Merlin when all he did was order him around and make him uncomfortable.

It wasn't that he minded, he actually liked spending time with Arthur when he wasn't in arrogant prince mode, but some times he wished that he could just be himself and no one else.

The last time he had been allowed to just _'be'_ was when he had been back in his home village, with his good friend Will, before his mother had sent him to Camelot.

Ever since then he hadn't only needed to hide who he really was, he had also been denied the few things he truly enjoyed just because life as a servant didn't really give him the time or the opportunity to do what he wanted.

He didn't mind looking after Arthur.

He had at first, when he had thought Arthur wasn't anything but a spoilt brat, and at times Arthur still was that person but now Merlin knew better, deep down Arthur hid a caring heart and once he was king, he would do a better job of it than his father currently was.

However that day was still a long way off and until then, Merlin's own destiny, apparently, was to be ordered around by Arthur. He often wondered if that was what the dragon had meant, and if he had, Merlin had to wonder about this whole destiny thing. Surely being one part of a coin couldn't possibly mean that he was supposed to cater to Arthur's needs and whims but if that wasn't his true destiny, then what was?

And what did it matter?

It wasn't as if he was going to be able to change what he was any time soon, he had to keep his magic hidden and while there was a slim chance that when Arthur became king he would lift the ban on magic, it wasn't guaranteed and so he might never be able to help Arthur achieve his destiny while being true to himself.

And honestly, if he wasn't Arthur's servant, what else should he be doing? Learn to be a healer like Gaius? He did care about people, he wouldn't mind working with Gaius either but he was usually too clumsy and he had no patience for mixing the potions that were required. He was pretty certain that he would be a horrible apprentice and an even worse healer in the end.

So that left him exactly where he was with no way out.

With a sigh he dove under the water again, enjoying the cool water on his heated skin, when he had to come up for air again, he realized that maybe it was time to head back to shore and dry off.

It might be better to do that before Arthur came back, not because Merlin was necessarily all that modest but he wasn't too sure if Arthur would appreciate finding Merlin butt naked.

Arthur was probably already furious with him for having left him to hunt on his own and he might end up in the stocks because of it. But if he did, he wasn't going to mind because he had enjoyed this afternoon and he was going to remember it for a long time.

The sun was low in the sky already but it was still strong enough to dry Merlin's body rather quickly. Even though he didn't relish having to wear his dirty, sweaty clothes, he still felt better than he had before. At least his body felt cool and refreshed and he didn't feel as if he was going to collapse from the heat at any moment.

He was just about done when Arthur strolled back towards him, his mighty kill over his shoulders.

Merlin's eyes widened, and then he barked out a laugh. Arthur's big kill had turned out to be a meagre little rabbit, looking more like a dead bunny than anything else.

"You caught a rabbit?" Merlin's voice was full of fun and laughter, mocking the prince for his big kill, "Oh my hero, what a big kill you made. I'm so proud of you...really..."

Merlin wasn't toppling over with laughter but he was very close.

He was in good spirits, so he was totally taken aback when Arthur's response was less than friendly. He hadn't expected Arthur to just take his taunts, it was a game between them after all. Arthur himself insulted Merlin quite frequently and in turn Merlin did something to annoy him, but it was all done in good spirits, more between friends than actually between servant and master.

"Why can't you behave like a proper servant should for once?" Arthur's mouth was tight, eyes blazing with anger and for once Merlin just shut up because there wasn't a trace of a smirk anywhere on Arthur's face. "I've never had anyone as incompetent as you as my servant and I honestly don't know why I keep you around..."

Merlin was about to point out that Arthur was _'keeping him around'_ because he liked him, they got on well and because Merlin had saved Arthur's life once or twice. They could trust each other and while Merlin might not be a perfect servant, he was Arthur's friend. He didn't get his chance to say those things however because Arthur just kept on talking, stalking over to Merlin so that he could shake his shoulders and then push him backwards until Merlin landed on his arse, looking up startled.

"You're a total klutz, can't do anything right, can't follow a simple order, and you're just totally hopeless. You're not good for anything."

In truth it wasn't anything Merlin hadn't heard before. At one point or another Arthur had said all those things to him, even Gaius had at some point and he was pretty sure even his mother had laughed at him at some stage for his habit of breaking things without meaning to.

But it was the way in which Arthur said these things that was different, this time Arthur really meant them. They were uttered to hurt Merlin and that was new; so was the sting he felt inside his heart.

"You don't really mean that..." Merlin's voice wasn't more than a whisper, barely audible but Arthur just raised an eye brow, picked up his fallen rabbit and started walking away, clearly expecting Merlin to just shut up and to follow him.

Which was what Merlin did in the end since there really was no other option available.

His feelings weren't hurt for long though, Merlin usually didn't hold a grudge, Arthur had probably just had a really bad day, which really wasn't Merlin's fault at all but since he couldn't lash out at anyone else, he had been the perfect target.

He hadn't really meant those words, though for the first time the prince had actually looked as if he had. Surely that couldn't be true.

Merlin might be hopeless at some things but Arthur did care for him and that was enough.

So he buried the sting in his heart and not too long later, he was smiling again, trailing after Arthur and his big hunting success: the tiny rabbit.


	2. Chapter 2

They hadn't been the only ones hunting that day, a noble and his son had also been guests at Camelot, jumping at Arthur's idea with just as much enthusiasm as the prince himself had displayed.

However Arthur didn't like company while actually hunting, apart from dragging Merlin along of course, so they had parted ways and agreed to meet up before night fall to share camp. The best hunting ground was in the deep woods and while it was possible to do it within one day, it was a lot more comfortable to do this spending one night in the forest and Merlin cringed at having to sleep on the ground again.

Maybe for nobles it wasn't such a big deal, they were used to their soft beds and comforts, _'roughing'_ it for a day or so was nothing more than an adventure to them but for Merlin, who had spent most of his life sleeping on a floor, cushioned only by pillows and blankets because his mother had taken the only bed in their house, wasn't really keen on a repeat performance.

The bed Gaius had given him, plus the tiny little room were the only privacy he had ever really known and he treasured them and contrary to Arthur and other noble men, he didn't particularly look forward to _'roughing'_ it for the night.

He never complained though, not about this. He knew Arthur would never understand it and it wasn't really worth complaining about either. After all, at the end of the next day, he would be home, back in his own bed again and that was all that was really important.

There were two more knights with them for protection, so in total their little party came to 6 men. Of course it fell to Merlin to skin the rabbit and prepare dinner.

He quickly collected some berries because dry rabbit wasn't really his thing. Thankfully cooking was something he wasn't too bad at, at least when it was simple enough as preparing a meal like this.

He ate apart from the others, usually when he was out hunting with Arthur they ate together, Arthur really wasn't all that big on formalities but he hadn't asked Merlin to stay today and he was a little bit unsure to just invite himself.

So he grabbed his share of the rabbit and the berries, walked a few steps over and sat down, resting his back comfortably on a tree.

He might not be the best man servant ever but he did know how to behave if he had to. Just because he often didn't, didn't mean that he didn't know how to, it just meant that he had chosen to do what he thought was right and not what was proper.

He might be clumsy but he wasn't stupid.

He was angry now, for some reason even he couldn't quite understand so he bit into the rabbit as if it was attacking him.

When he was done, he closed his eyes, settling in for the night. He knew he would have to get up sooner or later to grab something to keep him warm but for now the air was still warm enough to be comfortable, the chill of the night hadn't settled in yet and he felt fine where he was.

The one good thing about being a lowly servant was that he wasn't going to be asked to stand watch, after all, he was just a servant and clumsy on top of that, no one would want him guarding the camp.

Apparently Arthur's words had hurt him more today than he had thought previously; it was the only thing he could think of that could be the reason for his anger and resentment right now.

With a sigh Merlin gave into sleep, it wasn't worth obsessing over this, Arthur would get over it, he would never apologize but they would just go back to their usual behaviour and then all would be forgotten. After all, it wasn't as if it was in Merlin's personality to hold a grudge, usually he just moved on, life was too short for these things after all.

~*~

Merlin had no idea what had woken him up.

One moment he had been blissfully asleep and then the next he was wide awake, sitting up and listening intently. He had no idea what he was listening for but he wasn't about to disregard his instincts, something had woken him up and not softly but with alarm.

He could practically sense danger in the air, he had no idea if this was a _'normal'_ skill or if it had anything to do with magic but he knew that something or someone was out there, meaning them harm.

He carefully made his way towards Arthur, trying not to make any noise at all.

The prince would be furious for being woken without any apparent reason but there was no doubt in Merlin's mind that all hell was going to break loose at any moment now and Arthur needed to be awake.

He didn't even consider trying to find the knight on guard, who was probably somewhere stalking around the camp site, shrouded in darkness, Arthur was the only one who would take him seriously and listen to him.

Arthur trusted him; he knew that if Merlin said something was up then_ 'something was up'_.

Merlin however never got anywhere near Arthur, there was a loud screech in the air, clearly whatever was out there wasn't human at all and then suddenly a body landed on the fire.

Merlin just stared in shock, unable to move; it was Arthur who recovered his wits first, pulling the knight off the fire but it was already too late, the man had been dead long before he had landed in the flames, the cut throat a clear indication of that.

Everyone suddenly drew their weapons and Arthur pushed Merlin behind him which was just stupid because Arthur had no idea where the attack was going to come from. For all he knew, he might have just pushed him _'towards'_ danger and not away from it. Merlin didn't bother to point that out because Arthur was focused and he didn't want to cause the other man to lose that.

Arthur might have taught him the basics of fighting but Merlin really wasn't all that good at it, he knew where his strength was and that was his magic not his fighting skills.

Suddenly a winged creature descended onto the campsite, attacking left and right. All Merlin could do was fall to the ground and cover his head beneath his hands, hoping that the thing wasn't going to just scoop him up and have him for dinner.

Fighting broke lose all around them, Merlin finally looked up and when he actually saw the creature, there was no doubt on his mind that it was a creature of magic, he had no idea what kind of beast it was but he was pretty certain that no normal weapon would be able to finish it off.

It was like a gigantic bird, as if a falcon had suddenly been turned at least ten sizes bigger and without thinking about it, Merlin cast a spell he remembered reading in the book Gaius had given him.

He wished Arthur had the sword the dragon had blessed but since that wasn't an option, he knew a spell to strengthen the blade so that it could penetrate anything magical.

It would still be up to Arthur's fighting skill to kill the gigantic bird but at least he would have a chance.

Merlin mumbled the spell, his eyes glistened gold and there was a small whoosh, Arthur's blade glimmered golden for a second and then it was done.

Merlin got up, looking for a weapon of his own, it was then that he caught the eyes of Galivan, the nobleman's son who had been looking at him.

Merlin pretended not to notice, hoping that the young man hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary but clearly now wasn't the time for him to worry about that.

Arthur had already wounded the creature but then it took flight, whooshing past Merlin's head, taking off into the air and for a few moments it was quiet.

Everyone held their breaths, looking around; trying to catch a glimmer of the creature in the midnight dark sky but it was Merlin who saw it first, coming up behind Arthur, obviously going in for a kill of its own.

"Arthur!" Merlin screamed and the prince just turned and glared at him, obviously not understanding that he was supposed to duck so Merlin did the next best thing, he flung himself towards the prince, putting his body in between the beast and the man and then there was a sharp and piercing pain in his right leg.

He was flung off Arthur who was cursing at him and then after a few more minutes it was finally over, the creature was dead and Merlin felt like passing out.


	3. Chapter 3

I am still new to posting here at , so just in case anyone missed my warnings in the first post:

Warnings: slash, rated M, or like I usually do 18+ for later parts, hurt/comfort, some violence, dub-con in one part, I will warn when it comes to that…

Disclaimer: just my imagination…

Please if you don't like 18+ stories or dub-con, then either read with caution, ask me about it by sending me a message or don't read.

Otherwise I hope you enjoy the story, thanks for reviewing and reading and please let me know what you think…

******

Merlin unfortunately didn't quite pass out, he would have been happier if he had.

Instead he just squinted his eyes, wishing for all consuming darkness but nothing happened apart from his leg sending one pain wave after the other through his body.

He swore under his breath, to him it seemed like ages but maybe only a minute or so had passed. When he finally opened his eyes again, Arthur had slain the beast, obviously in some sort of heroic battle which he had missed and with it an opportunity to tease Arthur about it later on.

Unless he wasn't going to be around for that to happen, so with great fear he moved so that he could sit up, taking a good look at his leg.

He blinked and then looked again but the wound actually didn't look that bad. Sure, it was bleeding but his trousers were of a dark colour so it was rather hard to decipher if they had been soaked through with blood or not.

Galivan was suddenly by his side, putting his arm around Merlin, helping him to sit up. Strangely Arthur suddenly materialized as well, as if Galivan's sudden presence had prompted Arthur to come over and check-up on his servant too.

Merlin frowned, shouldn't Arthur have looked at him sooner?

Then time did the same thing again, it was almost as if the world around him was slowing down while for Merlin it seemed as if time was passing normally. With a shake of his head, whatever _'it'_ was stopped and time went back to normal. So maybe Arthur hadn't taken as long to come to his aid as it had appeared.

Arthur didn't waste any words on him, instead he quickly ripped his trousers apart and Merlin was about to protest because unlike the prince, he didn't own that many trousers but then he figured that it would only be good if Arthur checked out his wound and it made sense to rip his trousers and not ask Merlin to take them off entirely.

Apart from the fact that the night compared to the day was rather cold and that it would give Arthur ammunition to tease him for months to come, what Merlin was most glad for was that he was spared running around butt naked. It wasn't that he had an aversion to undergarments, he did own them, it was just with looking after Arthur he had sort of neglected washing his own clothes and right now he was going commando because he had run out.

Of course Arthur knew that, he had seen Merlin undress after all but still, Merlin was glad that Arthur hadn't asked him to take his trousers of.

"Eeeppp..." Merlin made a rather undignified shriek when Arthur pressed down on his wound, he arched his spine thanks to the new waves of pain coursing through his body but when Arthur patted him on the head, he just glared.

"Just a cut, Gaius will fix you up when we get home."

Merlin narrowed his eyes, he might not be as pain tolerant as Arthur was but he was pretty certain that the pain he was in wasn't coming from _'just a cut'_. "Are you sure?"

It wasn't that he had wanted to second guess Arthur on purpose and he surely hadn't intended to make it look like that in front of noble guests or his knights, but apparently that was how Arthur took his question because any concern he might have had, suddenly evaporated and he was now once again glaring at Merlin who just blinked up at him.

"I know what I'm doing." Arthur hissed out, the _'unlike you'_ strongly implied, "It might be worse than just a cut but the bleeding has already stopped, it seems to have started to heal over as well, so you're fine." And the _'just suck it up and don't be a wuss'_ was also strongly implied.

Merlin huffed but he relented, he would have nearly fallen over if Galivan hadn't steadied him. It was new and strange that someone else for once was looking out for him and what made it even stranger was that it was a noble man's son who had possibly seen him doing magic.

Maybe he wanted something in return?

Maybe that was why he was being so friendly now?

Merlin nodded his thanks and quickly went to gather his possessions. By the time he was done, everyone else was ready too.

It wasn't day yet but the sky was already alight with the first few rays of sunshine, it was still dark but there was enough light around for them to start their walk back towards Camelot.

For once Merlin wished that they had been able to take the horses, that the forest hadn't been too dense for them, because walking was another exercise in torture for him.

He tried to keep up, stumbling many times but he wasn't going to be the reason for them to be slowed down.

After an hour or so, the pressure on his leg got too much, he needed a rest, at least a few minutes so he gathered his strength and hurried up so that he was shoulder to shoulder with the prince.

"Can we rest for a few minutes?" Merlin asked hopefully, not really expecting Arthur to decline. The beast was dead, they hadn't seen any other signs of danger and they had been walking for quite some time already.

They had made good progress and if they continued liked this they would be back in Camelot well before noon. Surely sparing a few minutes to rest wasn't too much to ask but apparently Arthur was still in a strange foul mood because when he stopped, looking at Merlin he didn't look to happy at all.

"Just because we haven't encountered any more dangers doesn't mean that the beast didn't have a companion. We're not equipped to deal with another attack."

"Just a few minutes..." Merlin pleaded, making big eyes, a look that normally worked on Arthur, but this time apparently it didn't, "My leg hurts..."

Arthur threw his hands in exasperation, "Merlin, I know you're no good at being a servant and you always complain when I take you hunting, can you at least just man up this time around?"

Arthur didn't wait for an answer, instead he just kept on walking; Merlin just stayed rooted to spot until everyone else had passed him and he had to remind himself that he better keep up because the mood Arthur was in now, he might just leave him behind and consider it _'doing him a favour'_.

Obviously more was going on than Arthur simply being annoyed Merlin had teased him about his kill, maybe he shouldn't have done that, it might have really hurt Arthur's pride, but then again, he had done something similar many times before, and it had never ended like this.

Either way, now wasn't the time for Merlin to try and talk to the other man about it, it would only enrage Arthur more and Merlin really didn't like the man the prince became when he was in a foul mood.

Besides, if Arthur wanted him to suck it up, he would just do that. He would ignore the stabbing pain in his leg and keep on going until he passed out and wouldn't that just show him?

It might not have been his most mature thought yet but it was all he had for now.

It was a while later when Merlin realized that the pain only increased with every step he took and he could actually feel something inside his leg and with horror he realized that maybe something was actually stuck inside his leg, causing him all the pain he was in.

He opened his mouth trying to speak to Arthur again but then he closed it with an audible gasp. Obviously the prince wasn't in a caring mood, he was either not going to believe him or going to tell him to get over it again, and he really wasn't in the mood to hear that.

Besides, he had made it this far, Camelot was close and Gaius would surely be able to sort it all out.

Hopefully after Arthur had a chance to cool down (he probably really should have jumped into the lake with Merlin) he would be back to his old, caring pratty self.

When Camelot finally came into view Merlin let out a little whoop of joy but then he stoically kept on walking.

"Where do you think you're going?" Arthur asked when Merlin left him heading towards his and Gaius' rooms and Merlin stopped, slowly turning around, anger finally getting the better of him, "To get treated..."

"But..." Arthur was clearly expecting him to look after his needs now but Merlin just saw red, "I'm sure you can manage on your own and you know what? I quit."

He wished he could just turn around and run away but his leg wasn't permitting that, instead he settled for a glare, which coming from him probably wasn't all that impressive but Arthur did seem rather shocked, so he must have done something right.

He limped away, steadying himself on the wall to prevent himself from falling over and he just about made it through the door, before his leg finally gave out underneath him and he fell face forward into some of Gaius' potions.

"Argh..." Merlin waved his hands, trying to save them from being destroyed but he had forgotten to cushion his own fall so he landed in a heap on the floor, totally winded.

"Merlin..." finally someone showing him some concern; Gaius looked really upset and since he wasn't really bending to pick up his bottles, the concern must be for him.

With relief Merlin let Gaius help him up and guide him to a chair.

He briefly closed his eyes, willing the pain to die down, at least enough for him to form a coherent thought.

"What happened?" the older man wanted to know and Merlin started re-telling the story while his eyes were still closed.

"He was being an arse for no good reason..." Merlin huffed and when he opened his eyes, Gaius looked at him as if he had gone mad, "No Merlin, what happened to your leg?"

"Oh..." Merlin managed to blush because instead of telling Gaius what had happened to him, he had been ranting about Arthur and his recent behaviour.

When he was done finally telling Gaius what he had wanted to know, the older man just nodded and headed for one of his books, flicking the pages until he found what he had been looking for. He then carried the book over and showed Merlin a picture, "Was that what attacked you?"

Merlin took a good look at it and then nodded, "What is it?"

"No one knows, some think it is a normal bird that somehow got transformed into a giant bird, some say it is a freak of nature...since no one ever managed to find out for sure, it is just called _'big bird'_."

Merlin's eyes widened in disbelief because any monster they had come across up until now had been rooted in some sort of mythical legend with a fancy sounding name attached to it but this thing that had attacked them and managed to _'wound'_ him was just called _'big bird'_? At the very least he could have been attacked by something sounding way more impressive than that. It was the least thing this bird could have done.

Merlin huffed again in annoyance but he wisely kept his thoughts to himself. Gaius liked him but he already thought Merlin was a disaster; he didn't need to worsen the opinion the other man had of him.

He had never really been insecure before but apparently things were changing, and apparently having people think nicely of him mattered more to him than he would have thought. He had been called klutz, disaster and waste of space before, but always with affection but recent events have shown him that maybe being _'funny'_ like that wasn't actually a good thing.

Maybe every time Arthur had called him names it hadn't been with affection but really with annoyance?

Merlin really couldn't afford to go there because if he did he would start second guessing every single word anyone had ever spoken to him and he didn't want to add paranoia to his ever growing list of quirks.

"However it does say here..." and at that Gaius took the book away from Merlin, turning it around so that he could have a look at the little bit of text that had been written right underneath the picture, "that it can leave one of its claws in a victim, immobilizing it so that it can come back later on to feed on it."

Merlin turned pale at that because that didn't sound good and the longer he thought about it, the more certain he was that something was really suck inside his leg.

"It probably used magic to seal the wound quickly, so that its victim didn't get suspicious."

Merlin's eyes just turned wide, fear evident in them and they only turned wider when Gaius put down the book and headed towards him with a carving knife.

"Oh no...you don't..." Merlin shook his head and the older man just sighed, "I need to take it out of you. It's probably just thanks to your own magic that you didn't keel over before but you don't look so good and the longer it's inside your body, the longer its poison is in your system..."

Merlin didn't need to be told twice, he was all for having the claw removed from his body and he also had to admit that Gaius was right, he did feel rather faint but that could be due to shock or any number of other things. No way was he letting Gaius use that knife on his leg.

"Look, I can draw it out with my magic...without you mutilating me..."

Gaius looked offended but then he just nodded and Merlin put his hand over his leg, trying to concentrate. Truth to be told, he had tried calling things to him before, it had happened sometimes but most times nothing had happened at all however this time around he had a greater incentive to pull it off because if he didn't, Gaius was going to use the knife on him...and he really wanted to avoid that.

"It will probably hurt a lot, "Gaius interrupted his concentration, "Do you think you can keep your concentration through the pain?"

_'Probably not'_ Merlin thought, _'but he was surely going to try.'_

He just closed his eyes again and pushed his will as much as he could. He felt a tiny fluttering and then a piercing pain, so much worse than anything he had ever felt and before he knew it, he was sliding off the chair and finally into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Warnings: slash, rated M, or like I usually do 18+ for later parts, hurt/comfort, some violence, dub-con in one part, I will warn when it comes to that…

*******

"Don't move…"

'_Good advice'_, Merlin thought so he just stayed still and tried willing himself back to sleep, which of course didn't work. So with a sigh, Merlin did move, sitting up slowly and moving his leg as carefully as he could.

"What did I say?" Gaius was glowering at him, pressing a cup to Merlin's lips but the younger man could tell that Gaius didn't really mean it. He drank the liquid without objecting, even though it didn't really taste all that good but he trusted Gaius, so he didn't even bother asking what it was. Gaius would explain in his own time.

When Merlin tried to sit up, looking around for some thing to wear Gaius pushed him back down.

"I don't think you should be getting up for a few days, just rest and take it easy…"

Merlin's eyes widened, he couldn't stay in bed, he was probably already late as it was. The sun outside told him that it was already late in the morning, which meant Arthur would be wanting his breakfast and he really didn't want to make the prince mad at him.

Somehow it was really important that Arthur approved of him and although he hadn't thought much of it before, he realized that Arthur's behaviour over the last day had really hurt him.

Arthur had always been a prat, maybe less recently, but he had never been a saint. However when they had sparred, thrown insults at each other, Merlin had never before felt a sting, now though he wasn't too certain that he hadn't imagined his so called friendship with the prince.

He wasn't used to being insecure or second guessing himself but somehow Arthur had managed to shake him up and the last thing he wanted to do now was give the blond prince more reasons for thinking that he was unworthy and a waste of space.

So he had to go back to work this morning, he saw no other way.

"I need to…" Merlin sat up again, brushing Gaius' hands away and the older man just sighed, handing Merlin some trousers.

"Here you go boy, but before you run off, listen to me." Gaius said with a defeated tone in his voice, he knew apparently when to stop pressing because Merlin had obviously made up his mind.

"The poison is still in your system…"

"Poison?" Merlin's tone was rather shrill; he couldn't remember anything about any poison. Annoying claw stuck inside his leg, pain…but when did Gaius ever mention anything about poison?

Gaius sighed, "You weren't listening to me, that isn't anything new…"

Merlin frowned, that simply wasn't fair, if Gaius had said anything about poison he would have listened because it was…well…_poison_.

"The big bird uses its claws to immobilize its victims…"Gaius started talking and Merlin nodded, he did remember that bit, so maybe Gaius had told him, but not in so much words, "so it uses magic to seal the wound, make it look harmless while the claw is inside, slowly poisoning your system."

Merlin actually turned pale because the claw had been inside his leg for quite some time.

"Don't worry, the poison isn't really deadly, not really harmful either…"Gaius took Merlin's hand to reassure him before he continued, "however its purpose is to leave the victim weak and disoriented, so you might not be up to your full strength for quite some time."

"But I feel fine…"Merlin objected and it was true. His leg throbbed but that was only to be expected. Other than that he felt just fine, totally normal.

Gaius shrugged, "It could be that your own magic is containing it, you shouldn't have even made it as far as you did; maybe your own magic will take care of it and you will never have any side effects but maybe, at some stage, your magic will fail and the poison will be released into your system with full force…the point is, I don't know and you would be better off, resting for a few days until I can be certain that all the poison has left your system."

Merlin thought about it but then he just smiled, shaking his head, "Nah…I'll be fine, I feel fine and Arthur needs his breakfast. He'll get perfectly grouchy if he can't insult me in the morning…"

Merlin smiled sweetly before shaking his head, wondering why that really mattered so much to him.

With a sigh Gaius just nodded and got up, "If you feel weird, just promise me you'll come back here straight away."

"Of course…" Merlin promised quickly, every intention of doing just that and even another one of Gaius' sighs couldn't deter him from somehow getting into his trousers.

He wobbled around but he did manage eventually and with another one of his wide trade mark grins he greeted Gaius and managed to walk out of the room.

He didn't get far though, the moment he was out and around a corner, Merlin's hands started shaking and he had to lean against the wall for support. He had put on a good show for Gaius because if the older man had seen how much it had actually hurt to put any pressure on his right leg, he would have locked him up to keep him safe but Merlin was stubborn, he had a job to do and he wasn't going to give Arthur another excuse to call him _a failure_.

~*~

"I got you, just let me help you."

Merlin accepted the help because he knew that he needed to sit down. Maybe Gaius had been right, maybe he should have stayed in bed but then Arthur would have been proven right and he couldn't let that happen.

Merlin only noticed who was helping him when he was sitting down on one of the many few benches in the courtyard with Galivan facing him.

"Thank you." Merlin mumbled because it was just downright odd that the son of a noble man had been looking out for him. He wasn't usually the sort to second guess people but he had to admit that his experience with noble born people was limited and so far ever single one of them he had met had always considered servants to be something akin to second class people.

Even though Arthur treated him differently, most of the time, Merlin wasn't too sure any more that he hadn't just imagined the whole friendship between them.

This was another reason why it was so important to him to go back to work this morning, he needed to prove to himself that Arthur was still his old pratty self, prone to insulting him but deep down also caring about him.

He just had to be right and the events of the last day had to be some sort of bad dream. Arthur couldn't really have meant what he had said, he couldn't have.

"I know about you."

Galivan's words startled Merlin but he covered it up quickly, trying very hard to look confused and innocent, "I don't know what you mean." When deep down he was afraid that Galivan was trying to tell him that he knew about Merlin's magic.

"Merlin." Galivan's tone was gentle but also insistent but Merlin could be stubborn too, so he just shook his head, not looking at the other young man. He knew that his eyes usually tended to give him away, he wasn't that good a liar after all.

"Look at me." Galivan insisted and Merlin was about to refuse again when the other man put one hand on his shoulder, causing Merlin to jump slightly at the unexpected touch while with his other hand Galivan lifted Merlin's chin.

"I saw you do magic." Galivan clarified and because Merlin was now forced to look at the other man, he couldn't hide his wide and fearful blue eyes.

He still shook his head, ready to keep on denying, he didn't see any other option but Galivan cut him off before he could do anything, "In our kingdom we don't really have the same prejudices as in Camelot. Your secret is safe with me. Don't worry."

Merlin just kept staring wide eyed at Galivan, afraid to acknowledge what the other man had said. That would mean admitting to being able to practice magic but he was unsure what to else to say.

So in the end he settled for wide eyed staring and silence.

"I need to get back…" Merlin finally mumbled, startled by the rather tender way Galivan was now running his thumb along Merlin's cheek. It was a rather familiar motion and it was startling and very confusing.

Besides, Galivan was way too close for Merlin to feel really comfortable so he just fell back to what he usually did when he got confused, he smiled and pulled away.

"Thank you for helping me." He said quickly before stumbling away, fully aware that Galivan's gaze was following his every move.

He quickly hurried around a corner, at least as quickly as he could considering that his right leg was really unhappy with him. Once he was in the kitchen, about to pick up the all too familiar tray with Arthur's breakfast, he realized that there would be no way for him to carry the tray up to Arthur's chambers without dropping it.

He might be able to sort of walk by trying to favour his other leg and by occasionally steadying himself by leaning onto the wall but he wouldn't be able to do any of that if he was carrying a heavy tray.

He was still glaring at the tray when Gwen walked in and without thinking about it, Merlin asked her for help.

Gwen of course had heard that Merlin had been injured and after one long look at his rather pale face, she had agreed without a second moment's thought.

Merlin followed her, carrying a jug of juice, he hated that he had to ask her for help, carrying the heavy tray while all he carried was a little jug but there had really been no other way.

At this time of the morning, Arthur was usually out for some morning exercise so it would probably all be set up before the prince returned to his room for breakfast, Arthur would never have to know about this.

"Thanks Gwen, I really appreciate it." Merlin smiled at her and he was rewarded with a quick kiss on his cheek, "You're welcome. Anytime, Merlin, just let me know."

Merlin nodded, watching her leave and it was because of that that he didn't see Arthur coming up from behind him.

"So it's like this now, is it?" the prince's voice was full of sarcasm but not the good natured kind.

Merlin's heart twisted, he had really hoped that he had been wrong, that he had just imagined Arthur actually meaning the harsh words he had said to him but apparently he had been wrong.

"Can't even manage to bring me breakfast. Can't you do anything right Merlin?"

Merlin turned around, opening his mouth to say something, to justify his actions but then he just closed it with an audible click.

If Arthur really thought so little of him there was no point in trying persuade him differently. Besides, what was he really fighting for? A friendship he had imagined? Their destiny?

All the dragon had said was that they were both one side of a coin, that their destinies were intertwined, but no one had ever spoken of them being friends, that had been Merlin's own interpretation of it all.

"I'll just leave you to it then." Merlin nodded and was about to just walk away when he was totally surprised by Arthur throwing some dirty clothes at him. He tried to catch the bundle but he stumbled, favouring his right leg and he was totally unprepared for the searing pain that followed moments later.

He dropped the bundle of clothes and was about to fall himself, when strong hands caught him, holding him tight.

He felt light headed, as if something inside him had been released and he didn't object at all when he suddenly found himself being carried like a damsel in distress, Arthur's strong arms carrying him through the room, gently depositing him on one of the chairs.

Merlin blinked, unsure why he suddenly felt so disoriented, he had been fine a minute ago but now it was as if the world was under a big curtain, and he was slowly drowning.

"Merlin? Merlin?" it was only because Arthur sounded rather frantic that Merlin finally managed to focus on the prince.

"Hm?" he blinked, looking sleepy eyed and quite adorable while Arthur was still holding on to him.

"What's wrong with you?" there was no sting in Arthur's voice now, and that disoriented Merlin even more because hadn't Arthur just shouted at him?

He then remembered why he suddenly felt so weird, Gaius had been right after all, his magic must have somehow kept the poison at bay and for whatever reason, it had been released – all at once.

It wasn't deadly, it wasn't going to cause him any real physical harm but he was going to be really out of it, so he tried to convey to Arthur to bring him back to Gaius, just like Merlin had promised.

"Gaius…"Merlin said full of conviction, as if that one word alone told Arthur everything he should know, "Leg…poison…" and he pointed at his injured leg.

He twitched slightly when a strong hand was now slowly running up his thigh, spreading his legs so that Arthur could put his big hand over where his wound was. Arthur wouldn't be able to see anything through the cloth but for some reason it seemed really important to him to feel where Merlin was hurt.

And it was strange, feeling Arthur's hand on his thighs, stroking them, almost intimately and the little flutter inside his stomach was probably just a really strange reaction to the poison being released.

Merlin's eyes were finally falling shut, he couldn't stay awake any longer so he missed the sudden fear that flashed across Arthur's face and he missed the young prince turning deadly pale.

"Just rest, I'll get to the bottom of this." Arthur promised, grabbing a huge coat of his and draping it across Merlin before storming out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur was in a state of panic that he had never experienced before.

Before going into battle or before a duel, even before one of the many dinners he had been forced to attended, he had felt a rush of panic but nothing compared to the fear he felt now, the almost mind numbing fear that had spread through his body the moment Merlin had uttered the word _poison_.

He had been horrible the last few days, he was perfectly aware of that and he also knew that even though he wasn't supposed to feel remorse, he was a prince after all, he still felt it.

Merlin hadn't done anything wrong, he had been his usual cheery self; the very reason Arthur liked the dark haired man so much.

There was an innocence about Merlin, he never seemed to be kept down by things, he always found a smile and so what if he fell over his own legs a few time…so what if he couldn't behave like a proper servant, he was Arthur's first real friend, and even though he couldn't quite explain it, he knew that Merlin had gone way beyond the duty of a manservant to help him, on many an occasion, just like he himself had done to save the other man.

They were friends, even though neither one of them had ever said it out loud, but just because it hadn't been spoken out loud hadn't made it any less true.

He really wasn't proud of his recent behaviour. Every time he had seen the brief hurt flash across Merlin's face, or when his blue eyes had clouded over, Arthur had hated himself but he hadn't been able to stop himself either.

He knew though that this ridiculous behaviour of his had to stop now.

It had all started when Merlin had undressed before him, giving Arthur a good look at his dark haired manservant. Arthur had been totally taken by surprise the way his body had reacted to that sight.

The erection that had almost instantly followed had been totally distracting and he had practically run away from Merlin, totally mystified and mortified.

It wasn't because he was attracted to a man, he had been with both men and women before, it was because it had been _Merlin_ who he had been attracted to.

There was just something about Merlin, there always had been, from the moment they met and Arthur had realized in that one moment that more than anything he wanted Merlin to be his, in every sense of the word.

But he had also realized that Merlin would never get a clue, he would never get any subtle hints because it was Merlin: he was _clueless_.

And besides, even if Arthur could swallow his pride and just come out and say it, he was actually terrified that Merlin wouldn't want him back. What if Merlin were to reject him? Or worse, laugh at him?

So he had done the only thing he could have think of, the only thing that had come to mind to protect himself, he had tried to push Merlin away and it would appear he had succeeded. He had managed to push the dark haired man so far away that he had gravely misjudged his injury to the point where he had actually collapsed in his room.

_Merlin had collapsed._

Arthur swallowed a panicked sob, it wouldn't do for the prince of Camelot to make such a spectacle of himself but he figured it was probably already too late because he was running through the corridors like a man possessed, something he usually never did.

He didn't even bother to knock at Gaius' door, he was a prince after all, he just barged in.

"What's wrong with Merlin?" were the first words out of his mouth and he clenched his fingers to stop himself from shaking Gaius for a quick answer.

Gaius looked up from brewing some sort of potion and frowned. "Good day to you too Sire…" he said slowly and Arthur was balling his hands into fists to avoid getting physical and to try and shake answers out of the old man.

Gaius finally finished what he was doing, couldn't have lasted longer than mere seconds but to Arthur it seemed as if the world had slowed down and Gaius had taken forever.

"Merlin…passed out…what's wrong with him?" he spit out through clenched teeth.

"Sit down." Gaius pulled a stool towards Arthur who was seriously contemplating if Gaius had gone insane. Didn't he get what he had just said? _Merlin had passed out._

_Merlin…_

When Arthur didn't move, Gaius just repeated his request, a little bit more forcefully than before, "Sit."

Arthur finally just sat down, a sigh leaving his lips, he figured he wouldn't get anywhere unless Gaius finally started talking to him.

"The creature you encountered, it's called Big Bird." Gaius started, reaching out to grab a book, pushing it towards Arthur who just took a quick looked and then nodded his head. That thing did indeed look like the monster that had come out of nowhere.

But the name…

"Big Bird?" Arthur repeated the name as if he couldn't believe it and Gaius chuckled, "Merlin had the same reaction, "He said with fondness in his voice but then he just shook his head and continued with the actual story, much to Arthur's relief, "The bird can bury a claw inside its victim, and it will release poison…"

"Poison?" Arthur wasn't screeching like a fish wife, surely his own ears were mistaken.

Gaius just ignored him, he kept on talking, "The poison is used to confuse the victim, immobilize it, so that it can be lured into a false sense of security and confusion. So that it won't run away when the bird comes back to feed."

"But…" Arthur tried to say that the monster was dead and why had Merlin just collapsed now and not hours ago.

"Merlin apparently is stubborn; somehow he kept the poison at bay, made it back to Camelot without passing out. I had hoped that the poison might not affect him at all, after all with magical creatures anything is possible but I fear that from what you told me, that the poison must have gotten released after all. And probably all at once which of course makes it more potent."

"What does that mean for Merlin?" Arthur asked, barely able to hide the fear in his voice but if Gaius noticed it, he didn't call Arthur on it, he just ignored it.

"Well," and now Gaius had a reassuring tone in his voice, he raised his hand as if he was going to pat Arthur on the knee but he refrained from doing just that in the very last moment. "Poison might not be the right word, for Merlin isn't going to die from it, or even come to any serious harm; he will just be confused and quite helpless for a while. He will need someone to look after him, so if you could get him back to his room…"

Arthur was relieved to hear that 'poison' wasn't actually going to do his servant any harm but he still didn't like the sound of it. Merlin was prone to accidents on the best of days and he shuddered at the thought of leaving the dark haired man on his own.

Gaius wasn't going to be around Merlin all day long, he had other things to worry about and besides, this was all his fault anyway.

Merlin had gotten hurt because he had jumped in front of this Big Bird creature but even if he wouldn't blame himself for that, he definitely needed to shoulder the blame for not noticing the hurt Merlin was in afterwards.

He had even told him to 'man up' and obviously after asking for help once, Merlin had just stopped asking. Arthur couldn't really fault him for that either he had been so focused on pushing Merlin away that short of gushing blood nothing would have probably registered with him in any way.

Either way, that Merlin got hurt, that he was in this situation, that he was _'helpless'_ now was all his fault and he wasn't going to let anyone else take care of him but him.

"Don't worry Gaius, I'll take care of Merlin. Just tell me what to do."

Gaius looked puzzled, after all, how often had he offered to take care of someone and a servant on top of it.

"You don't need to do this Arthur, Merlin's leg wound will need re-dressing…if you just brought him back here…I can take care of this…you don't need to bother yourself…"

"Just tell me what to do. Merlin stays with me." Arthur held Gaius' gaze and the older man must have obviously seen something in Arthur's eyes because he slowly nodded and accepted.

When Arthur left the physician half an hour later, his head swam with information, it wasn't that he didn't know the basics of first aid, he was a soldier, he knew how to clean a wound and how to bandage it, any soldier did, but since this was a wound inflicted by a magical creature, there was some sort of ritual involved.

The cream he was carrying had to be applied cleaning the wound, and it had to be rubbed into the wound in a certain way and because Arthur really didn't want to make any mistakes, he was slightly terrified of remembering everything in the order he should.

Nothing of his worry or insecurity had shown, he really hadn't wanted to worry Gaius, besides, even though he was a prince, Gaius was a physician if the older man had ordered Arthur to bring Merlin back because it would be better for him, Arthur would probably have relented; he really didn't want to harm Merlin any further.

However Gaius hadn't requested it, he had looked puzzled and slightly unhappy that Arthur was going to take care of his servant but apart from a few odd looks, he hadn't said anything further.

Now Arthur was armed with bandages, a tea and a cream and he was hurrying back to his room.

Everyone was still looking at him oddly but he simply held his head high and stared anyone down that dared to look at him funny, he might be acting strange but he was a prince after all. Who were _'they'_ to question _'his'_ behaviour?

When he stormed into his room, his eyes automatically searched for the place where he had left Merlin and it took him a few steps to realize that Merlin was gone.

His eyes darted across the room, wondering if maybe in his confusion Merlin had gone elsewhere but he wasn't there. He even didn't notice Morgana until he did a double take and nearly stumbled over his own two feet.

"Where's Merlin?" his own voice sounded funny, even to himself, he sounded strangled, as if he was barely holding it together and when Morgana rose gracefully, her gown just as fetching as she was beautiful, he had to steady himself on his table, afraid to reach out and just strangle an answer out of her.

He really needed to get a hold of himself and these strange violent urges but he couldn't help it, Merlin was hurt because of him and everyone seemed to have picked today to put stones into his path.

"Can you believe it Arthur?" Morgana was chuckling, telling him that whatever she was about to say hadn't really offended her or made her mad, she apparently just couldn't believe it and was laughing it off, "I found Merlin sleeping on one of your chairs."

"What did you do?" Arthur didn't scream, he sounded eerily calm but Morgana must have noticed that something was off because her back straightened and she suddenly held her head higher.

"I didn't harm him. Who do you take me for?" she now sounded offended, "I like Merlin, but even so you can't have him sleeping in your chair. Anyone could have walked in and found him."

Arthur bit his lower lip so that he didn't point out that usually no one just entered his rooms, people knocked and asked for permission to enter and only three people didn't bother with basic rules of conduct: Merlin, Morgana and his father.

And since the one time when his father had walked in on him and a maid, even his father had taken to knocking before entering.

So clearly, it hadn't been quite as dire as she had made it sound.

Arthur took a deep breath, reminding himself that Morgana hadn't tried to make his life difficult on purpose. In her own way she had wanted to look out for Merlin, she hadn't meant any harm; it was only because of that that he didn't scream at her.

His knuckles however did turn white from where he was grabbing the table, "Merlin got hurt, he got poisoned, he isn't quite himself. It isn't safe for him to be wandering around the castle by himself. That's why I got the stuff from Gaius to take care of him."

He vaguely pointed at the various things on the table and Morgana just blinked at him, obviously she was just as baffled by the fact that he was going to take care of Merlin but she overcame quickly, obviously realizing that there were bigger issues at hand.

She put her hand over her mouth, looking stricken, "I'm sorry Arthur, I didn't know. Merlin did look awfully pale but he is pale most of the times, I didn't think anything of it…"

Arthur raised a hand, trying to shut her up, he knew that she hadn't meant any harm, even though right now he wanted to scream and shake her but thankfully the table was still holding him in check, providing another outlet for his violent urges, "Just help me find him."

"Of course, of course. I'll get Gwen to help look for him too. We'll find him, don't worry." She was trying to reassure him and he just nodded and ran out of the room.

Merlin couldn't have gone far. Like Morgana had said, he was pale, disoriented, weak…how far could he have gotten?

But of course he failed to consider that this was Merlin he was thinking about, who always managed to find trouble even while just sleeping.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Please note that there is dubious consent in this last update, between Merlin and Galivan and there is also slash, so finally some Arthur/Merlin and it is rather explicit, hence the rating M or 18+ like I always label it myself. If this is not your thing, please don't read any further and please consider yourself warned. SLASH WARNING AHEAD.**

*******

Merlin wasn't really sleeping, because he was still aware of his surroundings when he heard the startled, feminine gasp.

"Merlin!" there was outrage there but more of the humours kind than the really dangerous _'what have you done'_ and _'you're going to end up the stocks kind'_.

Merlin forced his blue eyes to open, seeing the room through a sort of haze. He felt as if he were under water, looking up at the world. He could still see but it was all blurry, continuously shifting around him, even the sounds were muffled, coming from afar.

"Come on, before Arthur or someone else finds you…if you're that tired, just go back to your own room and sleep for a bit." Morgana sounded amused but she was still insistent, she pulled Merlin off the chair and then gently pushed him towards the door.

How he managed to walk straight without falling all over himself he didn't know but the next thing he knew he was out in the hall way and the door to Arthur's room was closed behind him.

_Gaius._

'_He said I should come back if I started to feel funny…'_ Merlin thought and then he nodded to himself and started out towards home.

Time seemed to sort of jump because he couldn't remember how he had ended up in the courtyard but he couldn't deny that, that was where he was when suddenly his legs gave up underneath him.

He tried to stop his fall by reaching for the wall but it was strong arms that seemed to have come out of nowhere that actually saved him from falling to the ground.

"You alright?" the voice was familiar but it wasn't until the man stepped in front of him, that Merlin recognized him.

"My lord…Galivan…"he sounded even funny, sort of off and weak and Merlin wasn't quite impressed with himself but he wasn't going to argue with fate, apparently he wasn't well enough to get back to his room by himself, but Galivan here could help him. "I don't feel well. Gaius said I should come back…can you please take me back?"

Now he sounded like some sort of child and Merlin cringed internally but he knew he needed help, he was dizzy and it was just because Galivan still had an arm around his slim waist that he hadn't fallen down in the mean time.

"Of course, let me help you." There was a strange undertone in Galivan's voice but Merlin didn't notice it. He just wanted to lie down somewhere, sleep for maybe a day or so and then hopefully the poison would have left his system.

Galivan was way too close for Merlin to feel comfortable, the other man was pressing his body close to Merlin's but he didn't say anything, figuring that this way at least he was less likely to fall on his face and embarrass himself even more than he already had.

He might be only a servant but that didn't mean that he didn't have any pride.

It was only when Merlin was pushed down onto a soft surface that he realized that something had gone wrong.

This wasn't his bed. This wasn't even his room.

"Where am I?" he asked weakly, trying to keep his eyes open but he could already feel something dragging him under again.

"Shss…just relax. We're in my room…"

"But Gaius…he said I should come back…Please…I want to go back…"Merlin tried to clarify, thinking that there must have been some miscommunication somewhere because why would Galivan take him back to his own room when he clearly wanted to go back to his own?

He closed his eyes, resting his head wearily on the cushy pillow but he was startled again when he suddenly realized that not only where his shoes gone, someone was trying to pull his trousers down too.

He tried to swat away the hand that was trying to pull at his trousers, he sort of manage to sit up again but he was quickly pushed back down, "Come on, just let me take care of you."

'_This wasn't what I had in mind…'_ Merlin thought but by the time he managed to move again, his trousers were already unbuttoned and Galivan's hand was snaking inside.

"Stop it!" Merlin tried to sit up again when a warm hand touched his cock, he tried to shove Galivan off him again but the young lord was stronger, especially now considering the condition Merlin was in, he pushed the dark haired man back down, then forced his legs apart and sat down in between them.

"I'll keep your secret…come on…this will be fun…I won't hurt you…" Galivan's face was so close and even though his voice had been calm, alluring even, Merlin knew a threat when he heard one, Galivan was practically telling him that if he didn't put out, if he didn't let Galivan have his way with him, then he would tell Uther about his secret.

And Merlin knew that he couldn't let that happen because the choice between being beheaded or set on fire and having Gaivan ravishing him wasn't really a choice at all.

The young lord must have seen when all fight left Merlin because he chuckled and then he leaned in to kiss him.

Merlin managed one more weak _'no'_, his last try but Galivan just laughed and then kissed him.

"No means no…" Arthur's voiced seemed to be coming out of nowhere and then suddenly the weight was lifted off Merlin's body who could do nothing more than blink lazily at the ceiling.

There was some more shouting going on, some grunting and then a yelp of pain but Merlin wasn't worried. Arthur could take care of himself, a spoiled young noble like Galivan was no threat and Merlin actually smiled at that thought.

Everything was sort of fuzzy, it didn't even occur to him to try and pull his trousers closed, it wasn't that he was completely exposed but neither was he completely dressed either, he just laid there, blinking rapidly, trying to hold on to consciousness.

"Merlin…Merlin…I can't leave you alone for a mere minute…"Arthur sounded exasperated but since Merlin also detected a hint of worry, he just smiled and didn't object when Arthur reached for him, pulling him off the bed.

He nearly fell into Arthur's arms and at that moment all Merlin could think off was _'ohhh nice…comfy…more…'_.

"You're totally out of it, aren't you?" it wasn't really a question, more like a statement but Merlin still nodded, his unruly black hair falling into his face so that Arthur had to push some errand strands behind his ears.

"I'll look after you."

Merlin just smiled, he felt like a baby, waiting to be picked up and cuddled, so he just let Arthur take the lead, holding him close to his body while one hand was around his waist, nearly burning his skin through his clothes.

Merlin wanted to protest when Arthur pulled him back into his room but he was too tired and besides, this was Arthur, he wasn't going to try anything funny with him, Merlin trusted the prince.

He might have been less than nice recently but he still didn't think that he would harm him, scream at him maybe, hurt him with words, but not really physically.

But it still hurt to think that Arthur didn't really like him, that the friendship he had thought they had, had been just in his head. And if a few tears escaped him, then Merlin was just going to deny it later on.

He could hear snippets of conversations later on:

"You found him…"

"Is he alright?"

"He'll be fine, I'll look after him."

Merlin couldn't be sure but he thought that Morgana had been here but he was too tired to open his eyes to make sure.

He flashed back to Galivan pulling down his trousers though when Arthur was doing the exact same thing.

"No!" Merlin protested, and Arthur put a hand onto his stomach which was strangely comforting and calming.

"I need to clean your wound." Arthur sounded very reasonable but there was a strange glint in his eyes that had Merlin going dizzy. It wasn't the bad kind of dizzy, it was just strange that for once Arthur was looking at him with heat in his eyes because usually only those women he fancied got that kind of look.

He nodded his consent and then he lifted his hips, aiding Arthur in undressing him.

Arthur stared and Merlin blushed, pulling the shirt further down over his hips, glad that he was wearing one of those that were long enough to cover most of his private parts. He still hadn't manage to sort out his undergarments, so he was once again going commando.

Arthur was still staring and it was only when Merlin shifted slightly that the prince seemed to shake out of his trance. There was a cute flush on his cheeks and Arthur mumbled something underneath his non existent breath but then he turned around and grabbed the stuff Gaius had given him.

Merlin smiled, a strange, intimate smile, that lit up his eyes. He didn't know why he found Arthur so amusing, he just did, maybe it was the poison talking but right now he was beyond caring.

It was nice being taken care of for once and it was even nicer because the prince had been so horrible to him lately. Maybe this was just a feverish dream, maybe he was in his own bed and this was all just in his head.

He quickly rid himself of that theory though when Arthur pushed something into his wound that had Merlin screaming, sitting up straight and hitting Arthur over the head.

Arthur glared and pushed Merlin back down, he held him down with one hand while he continued to clean the wound.

Merlin thought this rather undignified, that Arthur managed to subdue him with just one hand, he might be out of sorts right now but this was just embarrassing.

He would have to be extra annoying the moment he got better so that Arthur quickly forgot this ever happened.

Arthur's touch though was gentle, the warm hand resting low on his stomach sent strange shivers through Merlin's body and a startled gasp escaped him when his cock twitched slightly.

He tried his best to look innocent when Arthur raised an eye brow and looked at him but then the moment passed and the prince went back to working on his wound.

He handled it rather well, and soon later the bandage was once again wrapped around Merlin's leg. Merlin just blinked through his lashes when Arthur sort of left his other hand high on his thigh.

His fingers were rubbing small circles, while his thumb was slowly working its way higher and higher until Arthur's fingers brushed his cock.

Merlin closed his eyes, trying to ignore the new throbbing in his cock because surely Arthur had no idea what he was doing; this was all just an accident.

"Does this feel good?" there was laughter in Arthur's voice but also barely hidden desire but all Merlin could really say was, "Huh…"

His eye lids fluttered shut as Arthur slowly shifted him around, pushing his shirt further up over his stomach, exposing him but Merlin didn't really notice, the room had started spinning again, and whatever Arthur was doing just felt really, really good.

He only opened his eyes again when he felt hot breath ghosting over his face and he let out a startled yelp when he came face to face with Arthur's nose. Before thinking about it, he closed the distance and gently bit Arthur who just laughed, pulling Merlin onto his lap.

Merlin's legs were spread, Arthur's big hands were at his sides, warm on Merlin's skin and when Arthur shifted again, pleasure soared through Merlin that he hadn't experienced before.

"Nuhu…" he said again, apparently the blond prince was really bad for his vocal cords but when Arthur's hand started massaging his butt, he just let himself fall forward, resting his head on Arthur's shoulder, his tousled black hair tickling the prince's nose.

"Merlin…"Arthur's voice sounded as if he had been screaming for hours and Merlin protested slightly when Arthur pushed him a little bit away from him. "I need your consent. You're out of it…I don't want to take advantage of you but I do want this, I do want you. So…?"

"Guhu?" was Merlin's reply because Arthur had talked really quickly and he had said a lot and he was barely able to focus enough to find Arthur's eyes.

"Consent Merlin. Do I have it?" Arthur sounded impatient now and Merlin just nodded, figuring if he tried to speak he would just say _'guhu'_ again and Arthur would get even more annoyed.

Merlin was startled when Arthur suddenly pulled him towards him, but Merlin didn't object, he was content to let the prince do all the work, he was going to enjoy it, his body was already screaming at him for more and then he could finally go to sleep.

Arthur's fingers were slick now, massaging his butt, trailing along the crease of his arse, teasing before finally slipping between his cheeks, looking for his opening.

The first penetration hurt, and Merlin let out a startled yelp, squirming in Arthur's lap but the blond prince just made comforting sounds and then his finger was back, pushing in and out, stretching him and then scissoring, and when Arthur brushed over that special spot inside him, Merlin finally screamed, arching his back, nearly toppling them over.

Arthur laughed but he held tight.

Merlin's cock was trapped between his own body and Arthur's still fully clothed one, it was almost painful but also very good.

Merlin mewled when Arthur removed his fingers, there had been three now, and he really protested once Arthur pushed him back onto the bed.

"I'll be right back…" Arthur's voice was husky and Merlin was content to wait, fisting his own cock, moving up and down, smearing pre-come over his head.

He groaned, his hips taking on a life of their own and he nearly came before Arthur's big hand forcefully removed his.

Then he was pulled back onto Arthur's lap, made to lean on him, ass up in the air and then when Arthur gently pushed him down again, he felt the spongy head of Arthur's cock penetrating him.

Merlin took a deep breath, he was stretched but still, he wasn't prepared for the thickness of Arthur's hard length.

He wasn't a virgin; he had done this before, but never with Arthur and never like this.

Arthur pushed up into him and it took Merlin a few seconds until his foggy brain realized that he could actually ride Arthur.

Once Merlin had caught on, he smiled, laughed a little bit like a crazy person and then he actually took charge.

"Faster…come on…" Merlin was still laughing while Arthur just grunted and then he had a crazy idea… "Come on…yeehaw"

"Oh no you're not…"Arthur huffed, obviously short of breath and then he flipped Merlin over until he was face down in the bed, pushing his hips up, until it was Arthur who was behind him, pushing into him – in control.

Merlin fought him, trying to dislodge Arthur, obviously having a really good time but Arthur had the better angle, he had a good grip on Merlin's hips and Merlin couldn't put much pressure on his leg, so he couldn't really move as much as he wanted, so in the end, Arthur held Merlin in place, pounding into the dark haired man.

Merlin let out a strangled sound and then he came, his ass clenching around Arthur's cock who took that as his cue to come as well, spilling his seed into Merlin.

He then collapsed on top of Merlin who tried valiantly to get out from underneath Arthur but it was only when Merlin complained that his leg hurt, that Arthur finally moved.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief but then Arthur pulled him closer and he snuggled into the other man.

He still felt dizzy, unsure if this had just really happened or if it was a dream but if the beast really thought that this was a good way to trap its victims, Merlin for once was very happy being a victim.

"I was only so mean because I liked you." Arthur said out of nowhere and Merlin just couldn't help it, he had to say it, "So you were being an ass because you liked me? How five-year-old-girl of you…"

Merlin's eye lids were dropping again, he barely felt Arthur swatting him over the head and then he finally passed out, comfortable in the prince's arms, where he belonged.

The End.

AN: Thank you for reading my story and for your reviews, it means a lot to me…


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